Patterns, Techniques, Articles, Blogs, and other resources to learn how to sew
Abby Glassenberg from While She Naps, and author of Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction
, shares an honest and eye-opening discussion of pattern testing (or the lack of) in sewing books. One would assume that all of the projects you see in books have tested before publication, but it turns out that the typical publication budget doesn’t allow for that. Read her post (and join the conversation) at While She Naps.
[photo from While She Naps]
It doesn’t matter whether you sew by hand or by machine, you need a pincushion. You need a spot to parks pins and needles and keep them within easy reach for when you need them again. There are a lot of styles of pincushion to choose from. Some magnetic, some fabric. Some cute, some purely functional. This “little bit extra” pincushion has a spot to store all the different types of pins and needles you might need while sewing. Polka Dot Chair has a free sewing pattern you can use to make one for yourself.
This handy little pincushion has a circular shape and is divided into sections to store different types of pins. The bottom section is for your regular straight pins. Just poke them in and they’re ready for when you need them. The top has one section with a felt flap perfect for holding your sewing needles. I don’t know about you but I don’t like mixing my hand sewing needles in with my pins on a pincushion. It makes it hard to find the needle when I want it. So having a separate section for the needles is a great idea.
This “little bit extra” pincushion also has a spot to hold a few fabric clips. Fabric clips have become popular alternatives to a traditional straight pin. They hold fabric pieces together without piercing the fabric, which is important when sewing leather, vinyl, or other materials that will show permanent holes from pins.
You can sew the “little bit extra” pincushion from large fabric scraps or small fabric cuts (fat eighth). You probably already have all the supplies you need to sew one in your sewing supplies already.
Get the free pattern for this “little bit extra” pincushion over at Polka Dot Chair.
[photo credit: Polka Dot Chair]
I don’t normally leave comments but after reading this post I was compelled to give my two cents! As a compulsive crafter and a book lover I have forked over more money than I would like to think for tons of different craft books. I really had no idea that a lot of the patterns in these types of books weren’t peer reviewed! It is so frustrating to get into a project only to get totally tied up by following the pattern! I understand that mistakes happen and that’s OK every once in a while, but to have completely have to scrap a project multiple times from the same book and/or author should be unacceptable! I buy those types of books for the patterns. If the patterns don’t work you’re looking at a $20 coaster or paper weight.
Thanks for the eye-opening post!